One of the best AA rechargeable batteries is the Panasonic eneloop, and here are the reasons why it’s a good choice for preparedness.

UPDATED:

Reasons why the eneloop AA size battery is one of the best

Number of recharge cycles

The latest technology design of the eneloop battery enables them to be recharged up to 2,100 times.

When you factor in the cost of constantly replacing new batteries, the cost savings are enormous over time, again making it one of the best choices.

A more technical explanation as to their extraordinary large number of recharge cycles:

Improvements to the conductive surface layer of the active (positive) electrode material (made primarily from nickel-metal hydride) produce greater conductivity and durability. Limiting the degradation of the conductive layer increases the number of times that the eneloop battery can be recharged. ..up to 2100 times.-from the manufacturer

There’s no ‘memory effect’

Each battery can be recharged when fully, or partially drained, and there’s no ‘memory effect’.

Like other batteries of similar chemistry, because it’s made of Ni-MH (Nickel-Metal Hydride) it can be recharged at any time without causing a ‘memory effect’ like older type rechargeable batteries.

Long Storage Life (shelf life)

The eneloop rechargeable Ni-MH battery is a ‘low self discharge’ (LSD) battery, which means that when it’s sitting on the shelf after having been fully charged, it’s shelf life (holding a charge over time) is very long compared to older type rechargeable batteries.

Fully charged eneloop battery cells maintain 70% of their charge for up to 10 years (when not in use and stored properly).

High Capacity

An important thing to know when comparing batteries is their capacity rating, labeled ‘mAh’. The (mA) stands for milliamps. The (h) stands for hour. The rating is milliamp-hours. This rating (capacity), is analogous to the size of the gas tank in your car. The rating represents how much energy can be stored inside the battery for a full charge. This is where many batteries tend to differ. The higher the number, the more energy can fit inside.

The current Panasonic eneloop AA battery is rated for 2000 mAh.

Temperature Performance

Most all batteries perform poorly when they’re cold. However the eneloop reportedly performs well in cold temperatures while delivering exceptional performance down to –4 degree Fahrenheit.

Battery Charger for the eneloop battery

Note: When charging the eneloop battery, be sure to use a ‘smart’ battery charger designed for Ni-MH. Most of them are these days, but be sure to check.

This is the charger that I’ve been using for many years. I like it because it will recharge 8 batteries at once, and it also does ‘D’ batteries:

Eneloops really are great. I’ve had a stockpile of regular batteries for a while as part of my preps and as I use them now, I’m only replacing them with these. Much like you’re battery holder, I’ve been putting together “go packs” which consist of a cheap Amazon battery holder that holds AAA, AA, and a 9V. It’s also a good way for me to keep track of how many of each I have.

I have both Eneloop and Powerex Imedion rechargeables. I have had the Powerex for about three years now and they have performed flawlessly. I haven’t had the Eneloop for very long, but so far so good. The only thing I like better about the Powerex is they are 2400mah, which means they will run your device longer before needing recharged, and I have noticed that difference.

I am curious if anyone else has used Powerex Imedion batteries and what their experience has been.

The Eneloop is now recharge up to 2100 times, where as the Powerex is still at a 1000. But recharge cycles are not guaranteed, they only say “up to” I would be curious as to peoples experience with these numbers also.

“I’m hearing they are the best “rechargeable” so I’m guessing the others are real junk.”

No, that’s not a true statement. Just because something might be considered the ‘best’ of something (always an opinion), does not mean that all else is junk. Think about it… That’s not how life works.

You are correct that rechargeable batteries generally will not last as long (run-time) as non-rechargeable batteries. A comparison of battery capacity (between the two types) will reveal that non-rechargeable batteries generally have more capacity. That’s just the way the chemistry works. Look for the ‘maH’ rating (milliamp hours) for comparison.

The charge time of a AA rechargeable battery will depend on the charger. Some chargers have a ‘fast charge’ capability (although it’s not so good for the battery due to excessive heat).

I love eneloops. Eventually I’d like to get to the point where the only thing I use old school batteries for is the tv remote. I’m curious if there is a decent solar charger for AA that won’t get my wife’s hackles up when she sees the bill.

I also wrote the following article awhile ago while attempting to find a better solution to ‘smart’ charging consumer-size batteries with solar power. The components add up to be relatively expensive (but things are always ‘relative’….). I may take a new look at it and see if there are more economical solutions, but still powerful enough to be useful for ‘on the go’…http://modernsurvivalblog.com/preps/off-grid-charging-system-aaaaacd9v/

Ken, thanks for this timely post.
Just made two purchases, the eneloop batteries and the Maha PowerEx charger.
Thank you for posting these items that are very valuable but were not even on my radar (though we have a supply of regular batteries).

I posted the article, having just finished recharging 8 ‘AA’ batteries for a pair of my Midland 2-way radios that we use around here. I love not having to be concerned about excessive battery use, given that I can simply recharge with ease 😉

Timely piece, Ken! I have my charger in the sun today, recharging a couple of AA batteries.

I use a Crane 11-in-1 battery charger, that’s the one you refer to in your linked article above.

I’ve been using Tenergy batteries and they work fine. However, their self-life when charged is a disappointment, as you wrote about.

One of our purchases for this month is to buy a second Crane unit so I can charge 2 sets of batteries at the same time AND also have a backup, just in case.

Was also planning to get some more rechargables and I planned to try the Eneloops to see how they perform. With the ‘memory effect’ now taken care of, this purchase is a no brainer. In the past, I’d always wait to switch out batteries only after a gadget goes belly-up.

I started with an 8-pack & charger. I was very impressed with the battery power, life, and charge holding capacity. Since that original purchase, I have bought another power pack with a variety of eneloop batteries (~20) including an additional charger. I primarily use them in my ICOM VHF radio, flash lights, and other electronic devices.

I have quite a few of the Eneloop laying around, have disposed of ALL of the used disposable batteries, The rechargeable are not cheap…. wait a min., if one calculates the life and recharging times…. They are VERY inexpensive.
One does not need a “fast” charger for them, remember how long a single charged battery will last, wayyyyy longer that it takes to recharge the “extra” set/s even with a cheapo charger
Get em, buy a solar charger, use em, and forget about the “rest of the story”
NRP

I have some of the standard rechargeable batteries and in the past looked at a solar charger. Then I started looking at how much I would use it and how often it would be useful here in the Pacific NW.

I can see using rechargables for flashlights and my little weather station. After that the only thing that came to mind is the fan on the propane heater and it uses D size (it has an adapter to run the fan on power) and it looked like it would be a struggle to charge those in my location, especially in winter when it would be in use.

Am I missing something? Has a better charger came out since I researched it? And also do most people use more battery operated things than I do?

I had been thinking about having a store of rechargeable batteries just in case but was concerned that if new batteries, never having been charged, could be pulled out after a few years and still perform like new ones or if they would even take a charge. Has anybody had experience trying this?

Whatever I know about batteries I’ve learned here and its been
very helpful but I’m not clear about one thing and would
appreciate any help.

Is it always the case that you have to use alkaline
batteries when manufacturer says so and rechargeable
only when it says rechargeable. I think I recall Ken
saying once about an item that it said alkaline but
that the eneloops fit fine and he used those instead.

That is a mere .3 volts difference. One might say “Big deal”
Well, it is… when you can take 4 x 1.5v = 6v and
4 x 1.2v = 4.8v which leaves the device needing ONE more battery to equal the 6v needed for said equipment.

Understanding that a fully charged 1.2v battery may be a bit higher (say 1.3v ~ 1.4v) …. it still would not make it to 6volts.
You would need 5 x 1.2v batteries to reach 6v.

I’m not saying this is the answer. Its just a guess.
If anyone wants to chime in…
We are all eyes (and ears).

Regarding the the battery voltage difference between alkaline and rechargeable batteries,

Alkaline batteries have a voltage of around 1.5 – 1.6v off the shelf, however they quickly drop to around 1.25v under actual load, and then given their inherent ‘sloped discharge curve’ they drop further over time to around 1v when almost discharged.

Rechargeable NiMH batteries have a voltage of around 1.35v when fully charged, however under load they start around 1.2v and they continue to stay around 1.2v until the battery is almost fully depleted.

So under these typical conditions, there’s little or no effective difference between the two while under load.

Regarding electronic gear requiring 4 or more batteries in series, it is apparently rare to encounter a device which refuses to run or power on. Additionally most electronic gear design and manufacturers take into account the voltage characteristics of rechargeable batteries.

They are usually and technically interchangeable. The manufacturer might say “Only use this battery” because that’s the battery they sell. On the other hand, all appliances have a certain required power level. As YO3 said, there’s only .3 v difference between a 1.2 v (rechargeable) battery and a 1.5 or 1.6 v alkaline. But all appliances also have a minimum power level. It’s usually around 1.1v sometimes as low as .9. When your battery reaches that level it can no longer support the power needs of the appliance. If your battery starts out at 1.2 and the useful threshold is 1.1, your battery is going to last only a fifth as long (assuming that the alkaline battery is charged to 1.5).

Mrs. Cossack loves electronic window candles. There are finally some on the market worthy of purchase (luminara). Expensive, but she is happy. I have 14 windows with candles and 4 involve using a ladder. Have been using eneloop with “c” adapter. Good for 2 weeks @ 5 hours on/19 off setting. Have just started using EBL “c” 5000 MiAm batteries on the upper windows and are now past the 3 week point and still going strong. Also expensive, but easier than dragging out 20′ ladder.

I have been using Eneloop since they were first released and a Sanyo product. I have some that are well over 7 years old and still holding a good charge. They also have a USB charger that can be attached to a solar panel for charging.

While I am currently using non-rechargeable ‘Surefire’ 123A batteries (I buy them by the dozen), evidently they do make rechargeable 123A batteries…

Note: You need to be aware of the mAh (milliamp hour) rating of the battery (how much energy is able to be stored inside) because some are more or less than others. The Surefire batteries listed above are apparently 1500 mAh (non-rechargeable). Many of the rechargeable 123A batteries that I’m seeing are 750 mAh.

Having looked at the many choices on Amazon, it seems that most of the 123A rechargeable batteries do not have very good overall reviews (not sure why that is).

Ken Thanks for the comeback. I also buy the 12 pack surefire non rechargable batteries. I checked out the site you showed and I’m suprised at how reasonable some of those chargable batteries with a charger really are. I have a Surefire flash light which I love, but it sure does eat the batteries. Thanks again. Trekker Out.

I have some eneloop and mostly amazon brand. Can’t tell much difference but I haven’t collected data or done the research. Bought one 4pack of interstate on a whim while at their store. They were either already old or just not as good, though they still work. I recharge off of home solar. A small off grid system. Use em till they need recharged and switch em out. Mostly used for small led lights throughout the house during power outages. Which seem to occur more often than they used to out here in the country. I really like the led lights. You can mount them almost any where and they put out enough light to get around.

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